Cans having pull-tab tops are well known for packaging many liquid products such as beer and soda. The can typically has a pull-tab riveted to its top which can be raised and thereby used as a lever to shear away a portion of the top along a score line, thereby opening the can.
These cans typically have a rim around their top which extends slightly from the side of the can. This rim has been advantageously employed in prior plastic yoke-type packages to hold the cans in groups, typically in multiples of six, and also as a carrier for the cans. The plastic yoke-type packages had one plastic ring for each can. Each ring was stretched tightly around the can just below the top rim. Friction between the ring and the can and the interference between the rim and the tightly fitting ring maintained the cans in the package.
However, the plastic yoke-type carriers have a number of disadvantages. The plastic yoke-type carriers, once made and used, are difficult to dispose of. They are not biodegradable and are also not economically recycleable. If not properly disposed of, the yoke-type carriers pose a serious danger to wildlife, which can become entangled in the yokes and perish.
The yoke-type carries also have a relatively high material cost, usually being made of a rather thick polyethylene sheet. They also do not provide protection to the can tops against contamination, since the can tops are not covered. Moreover, the yoke-type carriers do not provide any significant "billboard" space with which to print any desired advertising or other information.